South Korean shipping firm Sinokor Merchant Marine transported 105.6 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz in September, accounting for 37% of the total volume moving through the crucial waterway, according to Bloomberg data cited by Hankyoreh. On October 27, 2026, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority warned that legal actions, including potential detention or confiscation, will target all company vessels starting November 1.
Escalating Enforcement from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, known as PGSA, posted the warning on the social media platform X on October 27, 2026. The agency stated that Sinokor vessels committed the highest number of transit regulation violations over the previous three months. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that authorities have already taken enforcement measures against at least seven ships associated with the carrier, identifying vessels such as the Mombasa B and the Senegal Prosperity.
۱/شناورهای متعلق به شرکت کشتیرانی سینوکُر، بیشترین تخلفات عبور را در طول ۳ ماه اخیر مرتکب شدهاند و تا کنون علیه حداقل ۷ مورد از آنها اقدامات اجرایی متناسبی صورت گرفته است. https://t.co/Hwo0RmLQAQ pic.twitter.com/er7EYwbRxF
While the PGSA has not detailed the exact nature of the upcoming measures, previous announcements from the agency warned that listed vessels face fines, detention, or seizure upon entering the strait. The registry of targeted ships has expanded steadily. The agency first published a list of 45 non-compliant vessels in August, expanded the count later, and elevated the total to 122 vessels this month. Sinokor ships have appeared on the warning lists since the initial August disclosure.
The agency also issued a warning to all cargo owners, stakeholders, and insurance service providers regarding the upcoming measures.
Concentrated Crude Volumes and Regional Security Risks
Sinokor secured a massive fleet of tankers through second-hand acquisitions and time charters prior to the ongoing conflict in Iran. The shipping company deploys these vessels primarily for short shuttle runs, loading crude within the Persian Gulf, transiting the strait, and offloading at ship-to-ship transfer points in the Gulf of Oman, according to Digital Times. Following the restriction of strait transits, the company has operated while charging high freight rates.
Data compiled from vessel-tracking firms Vortexa, Equasis, and Signal Ocean demonstrates the scale of these operations. The 105.6 million barrels moved by Sinokor in September surpassed the combined volumes of the next three largest operators in the strait: Bahri (Saudi National Shipping Line), Kuwait Oil Tanker Company, and the shipping arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which collectively moved 97.3 million barrels. This volume represented approximately 37% of the total 286.3 million barrels of crude that passed through the strait that month.
Lloyd’s List reported that Sinokor accounted for 47% of Very Large Crude Carrier transits through the Strait of Hormuz in September, a figure that climbed above 50% during the first ten days of October. This heavy operational tempo has exposed the fleet to direct kinetic threats. Seven Sinokor-owned tankers sustained damage from missile or drone attacks amid rising regional hostilities. Additionally, Financial Times reported on October 13 that 24 vessels had been attacked by Iran near the Strait of Hormuz over the preceding two weeks, a total that included Sinokor tankers.
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